Device for protecting the guiding path of a machine tool

ABSTRACT

A device for protecting the guiding path of a machine tool, which comprises a plurality of telescopically interengaging cover boxes each having a rear wall extending perpendicularly with regard to the plane of the guiding path and by means of horizontal and vertical sliding means resting on the guiding path, the vertical sliding means being angle-shaped and include slidable nose means spring urged toward the guiding path and engaging the same from behind to maintain the cover boxes in engagement with the guiding path.

United States Patent 1 Kietz l l DEVICE FOR PROTECTING THE GUIDING PATH OF A MACHINE TOOL [75] Inventor: Lothar Kietz,

Freudenberg-Lindenberg, Germany [73] Assignee: Kabelschlepp Gesellschatt mit beschrankter IIalitung, Siegen, Germany [22] Filed: Sept. 28, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 184,495

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 29. 1970 Germany P 20 47 794.5 52 us. Cl. 308/3 A, 160/202 s1 Int.Cl. ..Fl6c 23/02 [58] Field of Search 308/35, 3.6;

[56] I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,578,061 5/1971 Hascheck 160/202 3,565,153 2/1971 Loos 308/35 2,288,637 7/1942 Mauro 312/333 1,775,491

9/1930 Hughes ..3l2/332 11 3,751,120 [4 1, Aug. 7, 1973 (Tlupp 312/332 381,760 4/1888 Clapp 312/332 388,066 8/1888 Murphy i 312/350 FOREIGN Iii/YIEII'IS OR APPLICATIONS 957,709 2/1957 Germany 308/35 957,710 2/1957 Germany 30813.5 1,050,148 2/1959 Germany 308/35 624,671 9/1961 Italy 312/332 Primary Examiner-Charles .1. Myhre Assistant Examiner-R. H. Lazarus Attorney-Walter Becker 57 I ABSTRACT A device for protecting the guiding path of a machine tool, which comprises a plurality of telescopically interengaging cover boxes each having a rear wall extending perpendicularly with regard to the plane of the guiding path and by means of horizontal and vertical sliding means resting on the guiding path, the vertical sliding means being angle-shaped and include slidable nose means spring urged toward the guiding path and engaging the same from behind to maintain the cover boxes in engagement with the guiding path.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures.

PAIENIED M19 7975 INVENTOR. 7d 791 Pmmo w 1751.120

SHEEI 2 BF 2 INVENTOR.

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING THE GUIDING PATH OF A MACHINE TOOL The present invention relates to a device for covering up and protecting guiding paths of machine tools, which device comprises a plurality of telescopically interengaging covering boxes. Each of said covering boxes has a cover wall extending parallel to the plane of the guiding path, two lateral walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the guiding path, and a rear wall extending perpendicularly with regard to the guiding path, said rear wall being supported on the guiding path by sliding means.

Heretofore known covering-up devices of the above mentioned type have their side walls equipped with inwardly bent-off strips so that they cannot be lifted off from each other and ascend during their movement. The guiding of the covering-up device on the guiding path is, with horizontally extending guiding paths effected by the weight of the covering-up device. As a rule, this weight is sufficient to prevent the entire covering-up device from lifting itself off from the guiding path. However, the situation is different with guiding paths which extend vertically, as is the case for instance with gantry machine tools on stand and transverse beams, which have likewise to be covered by coveringup devices. In order to prevent the vertically arranged covering-up devices from lifting themselves off from the guiding path, special devices are necessary by means of which portions of the guiding path are engaged from behind.

The heretofore known devices by means of which in vertically arranged covering-up devices, portions of the guiding path are engaged from behind, have the drawback that they can be mounted on the guiding path only after the covering-up device has been installed. Thus, it is customary, for instance, first to slip the individual covering boxes of the covering-up device successively onto the guiding pathv and to fasten the sliding means engaging the guiding path from behind, on the rear wall. Inasmuch as the spacial conditions in the gap between the side walls and the engaging strips of the covering boxes on one hand and the guiding path on the other hand are rather limited, the assembly of the heretofore known devices for engaging the guiding path from behind is rather difficult and time-consuming. The same difficiulties are encountered also when the covering-up device has to be taken off for repairs or other reasons.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a covering-up device for protecting the guiding path on machine tools, which can be completely preassembled and nevertheless can be mounted and installed especially on vertically extending guiding paths.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which will overcome the above outlined drawbacks.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a section through a covering box of the invention arranged on a guiding path, said section being taken along the line I l of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates a section through a covering-up device with four covering boxes, said section being taken along the line II II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of an angle-shaped sliding element in side view.

FIG.'4 shows the sliding element of FIG. 3 turned by with regard to the showing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a modified sliding element according to the invention.

FIG. 6 shows the sliding element of FIG. 5 turned by 90 with regard to the showing of FIG. 5.

The present invention starts with covering-up devices of the heretofore known type for protecting the guiding paths on machine tools, which comprise a plurality of telescopically interengageable covering boxes each of which has a cover wall extending parallel to the plane of the guiding path, two side walls extending in the direction of the guiding path, and a rear wall which extends perpendicularly with regard'to the plane of the guiding path and by means of horizontal and vertical sliding elements rests on the guiding path. The characteristic feature of the present invention consists in that the lateral guiding elements are angle-shaped and engage the guiding path from behind by means of an inwardly extending nose which is adapted to be displaced outwardly against spring pressure. In this connection, it has provided particularly advantageous to provide the bottom side of the noses with an inclined surface.

A covering-up device designed in conformity with the above mentioned. inventive features has the outstanding advantage that it can be placed from above in completely preassembled condition onto the guiding path and be slipped thereon while the guiding path is adapted to slide on the inclined surfaces of the noses and to press the same into the sliding elements so that the noses can leave the sliding elements only after the guiding path has passed, in order in this way to catch the guiding path from behind. A further advantage of the covering-up device according to the invention consists in that it can also in completely assembled condition be again removed'from the guiding path. To this end, the noses are manually or by suitable tool moved into the sliding elements.

The covering-up device according to the invention also has the advantage that the heretofore necessary strips for catching or engaging the guiding path from behind become superfluous inasmuch as the noses will with horizontally as well as vertically i'nounted covering-up devices present the lifting and ascending of the covering boxes.

With a practically particularly successful embodiment of the invention, it has proved advantageous to arrange the nose in a slot of the sliding element and to guide the nose in a slot on a bolt which simultaneously also limits the play of movement of the nose.

The spring means may be arranged in two different ways. For instance, the nose may be inserted against the thrust of a lead spring to the back side of the sliding element or against the thrust of a helical spring arranged in the slot of the sliding elements, said helical spring resting on the closed rear wall of the sliding element.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof in particular, the covering-up device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises four covering boxes A, B, C and D which are adapted telescopically to interengage each other. Each covering box in its turn comprises a cover or top wall 2, two side walls 3, 4 which extend in the longitudinal direction of the guiding path and which for preventing an undesired lifting off action are provided with inwardly angled-off engaging strips 5, 6. Each covering box furthermore comprises a rear wall 7 extending perpendicularly with regard to the plane of the guiding path and resting on the guiding path 1 by means of horizontal sliding elements 8 and vertical sliding elements 9. The sliding elements 9 are angle-shaped and have their lower ends provided with a slot 11 in which a nose 12 is arranged. Nose 12 likewise has a slot 13 through which extends a bolt 14 connected to the body of the sliding element 9 Slot l3 limits the play of movement of nose 12. On the outwardly free end of nose 12, the bottom side of nose 12 is provided with an inclined surface 15.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the back side of the sliding element 9 has connected thereto a leaf spring 16; nose 12 is adapted to be inserted into slot 11 of the sliding element 9 against the thrust of said spring 16.

1n the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. and 6, the slot 11 on the back side of the sliding element 9 is closed by means of a cover plate 17. At the same time, the nose 12 has a somewhat shorter length than the slot so that in the free portion of the slot 11 a compression spring 18 can be arranged.

When mounting and installing the covering-up device, completely preassembled cover boxes A, B, C, D are, from the top, placed upon the guiding path 1. In this connection, the guiding path 1 presses the noses 12 against the inclined surface 15 against the thrust of the leaf spring 16 or pressure spring 18 into the sliding element 9. Only after the noses 12 have passed by the side walls of the guiding path 1, they can again leave the sliding element 9 and can engage the guiding path 1 and can engage the bottom side of the sliding path 1 from behind.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular showing in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. For use in connection with a machine tool having a horizontally extending upper guiding path, vertically extending side surfaces and an under surface, a prefabricated device for protecting and covering up said guiding path, which includes in preassembly therewith: a plurality of telescopically interengaging covering boxes movable relative into and out of each other, each of said boxes comprising a top wall and vertically extending side and rear walls, horizontal sliding means mounted on said rear wall adapted to engage the upper guiding path, vertical sliding elements mounted on each side wall adapted to engage, the tool side surface, each of said vertical sliding elements including inwardly spring biased and laterally shiftable nose means, said nose means being adapted to shift outwardly against spring pressure when the covering boxes are to initially engage the guiding surface and then shift inwardly, and are adapted to interlock beneath the tool under surface as the covering boxes are mounted on the machine tool.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which each said nose means has a first surface substantially at a right angle with regard to said vertical sliding means and also has a second surface forming an acute angle with said first surface adapted for temporary sliding engagement with the guiding surface means of the machine tool.

3. A device according to claim 1, in which said sliding elements are respectively provided with slot meansrespectively having said nose means slidably arranged therein, each of said nose means and sliding means pertaining thereto being provided with means for limiting the movement of said nose means relative to the pertaining sliding means.

4. A device according to claim 1, in which each of said spring means includes a leaf spring yieldably engaging the respective pertaining nose means and being connected to the pertaining sliding means.

5. A device according to claim 1, in which each of said spring means includes a coiled pressure spring having one end in engagement with the pertaining sliding means and having its other end in engagement with the 

1. For use in connection with a machine tool having a horizontally extending upper guiding path, vertically extending side surfaces and an under surface, a prefabricated device for protecting and covering up said guiding path, which includes in preassembly therewith: a plurality of telescopically interengaging covering boxes movable relative into and out of each other, each of said boxes comprising a top wall and vertically extending side and rear walls, horizontal sliding means mounted on said rear wall adapted to engage the upper guiding path, vertical sliding elements mounted on each side wall adapted to engage, the tool side surface, each of said vertical sliding elements including inwardly spring biased and laterally shiftable nose means, said nose means being adapted to shift outwardly against spring pressure when the covering boxes are to initially engage the guiding surface and then shift inwardly, and are adapted to interlock beneath the tool under surface as the covering boxes are mounted on the machine tool.
 2. A device according to claim 1, in which each said nose means has a first surface substantially at a right angle with regard to said vertical sliding means and also has a second surface forming an acute angle with said first surface adapted for temporary sliding engagement with the guiding surface means of the machine tool.
 3. A device according to claim 1, in which said sliding elements are respectively provided with slot means respectively having said nose means slidably arranged therein, each of said nose means and sliding means pertaining thereto being provided with means for limiting the movement of said nose means relative to the pertaining sliding means.
 4. A device according to claim 1, in which each of said spring means includes a leaf spring yieldably engaging the respective pErtaining nose means and being connected to the pertaining sliding means.
 5. A device according to claim 1, in which each of said spring means includes a coiled pressure spring having one end in engagement with the pertaining sliding means and having its other end in engagement with the pertaining nose means. 